Odo (Furneaux) de Furneaux (abt. 1060 - aft. 1100)

Born about 1060 in Manche, Normandy, France

Died after 1100 after about age 40 in Cudworth, Somerset, England [uncertain]

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Biography

Odo Furneaux was a member of the aristocracy in England.

From the Domesday records and K. S. B. Keats-Rohan's research, we can be confident that Odo de Furnels held, of Roger Arundel, the manor of Cudworth in Somerset and that he presumably had a son Gaufrid. Everything else about Odo is open to question and discussed under Research Notes.

Variants of his name incldue Odo and Otes, ^[1] Eudes is also presented in some sources as an alternate.

1086 Lord of the Manor, Cudworth, Somerset

Open Domesday reports an Odo, lord of the manor of Cudworth, South Petherton Hundred, Somerset, the tenant-in-chief of which was Roger Arundel. ^[2]

Keats-Rohan reports that Odo de Furnels was a Domesday tenant of Roger Arundel, whose tenement at Cudworth he held for one fee in 1166. The fee was held in 1236 by Alan de Furneaus, a descendant of Odo. ^[3]

British History Online also notes that "in 1086 the tenant at Cudworth was Otes, who had succeeded three thegns holding 'in parage'. ^[1].

British Historyonline also notes that thereafter, no occupier of Cudworth is known until c. 1186–8, when Alan de Furneaux gave the church to Wells cathedral. ^[1]

However, the Cudworth manor was held, around 1187, by Alan de Furneaux who gave the church and 30 acres (12.1 ha) of land to Wells Cathedral to found the Cudworth prebend. ^[4] This shows continuity of possession of the manor in the Furneaux family.

Presumed Son

Keats-Rohan suggests that Odo de Furnelt was presumably the father of Gaufrid de Furnellis, Sheriff of Devonshire in 1129-30.^[5]

Research Notes

1060 Birth and Death Year Estimation

There are no records of Odo's birth. If Gaufrid (Geoffrey) was his son and was sheriff of Devonshire in 1129, assume Gaufrid was about 29 at the time, hence born, say, 1100. If Odo, Lord of Cudworth in 1086, was aged 26 at the time, hence born 1060, he would have been aged 40 at Gaufrid's birth.

If Odo had served in the Battle of Hastings, and was 18 in 1066, hence born 1048, he would have been aged 52 at Gaufrid's birth, which is possible but less likely.

We only know that Odo was living in 1086, and died later than that. However, based on the estimate of his son Gaufrid's birth in 1100, Odo died after 1100.

Several secondary sources place his birth as 1074. Two sites place his birth that year at Formigny, Manche, Normandy. ^[6][7] The Weber site places the birth that year at Fourneaux, Manche, Normandy. A birth in 1074 would make Odo a child aged 10 when he was listed in Domesday in 1086, but property holders were of age, so this birth year is too late,

Deloria, as well as Smith and Hunger, place his death at 1131. ^[6][7] A death date of 1131 is plausible, but no reliable source can be claimed for it.

Was Odo from Fourneaux, Normandy?

The Duchess of Cleveland, author of "the Battle Abbey Roll", states that this family came from Fourneaux, near Coutances and settled in several different counties. ^[8]

Her account states that the family settled in several different counties of England ^[8], including the adjacent counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall.

Was Odo present at the Battle of Hastings?

No reliable source exists showing Odo present at Hastings. Several secondary sources claim, however, that Odo deFornell or Furneaux came to England with William the Conqueror ^[6][7][9]

An impact of this claim is to estimate Odo's birth earlier, say 1040. ^[6][7]

Did Odo hold Cudworth "in capite"?

The Domesday record shows that Odo held Cudworth as a tenant of Roger Arundel. This indicates that secondary sources stating that he held the maor "in capite" (directly of the crown) are in error. These secondary sources include the Duchess of Cleveland's Battle Abbey Roll ^[8] and Beizedon's account of the Ancestors of Dr. David Rogers. ^[9]

Did Odo die in Fenn Ottery?

Several secondary sources state that Odo died in Fenn Ottery, Devon. Deloria, as well as Smith and Hunger, give a date (1131) as well as place. ^[6][7] Weber gives no date, but reports the place as Fen Ottery. ^[10]

While no references to "Fenn" or "Venn" Ottery appear in Domesday, the word "ottery" appears in several forms in Open Domesday ^[11]

• Ottery St. Mary (Ottery St. Mary Hundred)Tenant-in-chief and Lord, Canons of St. Mary and St. Armand, Rouen
• Ottery (Lifton Hundred) Tenant-in-chief and Lord: Robert of Aumale
• Upottery (Axminster Hundred) Tenant in chief and Lord: Ralph of Pomeroy
• [Mohuns] Ottery (Axminster Hundred) Tenant-in-chief and Lord, both in 1066 and 1086, Canons of St. Mary and St. Armand, Rouen
• Otterton (Budleigh Hundred) Tenant-in-chief and Lord: Abbey of St. Michel.
• Venn (Alleriga Hundred) Tenant in Chief: Count Robert of Mortain. Lord: Reginald of Vautortes

Some secondary sources claim a link between Fenn (or Fenn) Ottery with the Furneaux family:

• The Otter Valley Association claims that Venn Ottery, mentioned in the Domesday Survey, comes from 'fen' meaning a 'marsh' near Ottery or near the Otter. Various spellings have been recorded, from Fenotri (1158) to Fenoteri (1212) Fennoteri juxta Harpeford (1346) showing the connection with Harpford and later Venautrie (1606). The OVA adds that at the time of the Domesday Survey, the manor was held from the Crown, on a free farm rent of £4.4s.8d. by the family of Furneaux. In 1259, in the reign of Edward III, John de Furneaux granted to the Abbey of Mont St. Michel in Normandy a ferling of land in Fenotri for the maintenance of a chaplain. ^[12]
• In their discussion of parishes, the Lysons state that "Ven, or Fen Ottery, in the hundred of East Budleigh and in the deanery of Aylesbeare, lies about nine miles from Honiton. They add that the manor of Fen Ottery belonged, from an early period, and till the reign of Edward III., to the family of Furneaux. ^[13]

The Duchess of Cleveland notes that many descents were held by the Furneaux by sergeantry, and so continued unto the latter end of King Edward II's days." They had received it from Henry I. ^[8]

These claims are not sufficient to establish that Odo died in Fenn Ottery, but they do suggest the importance of further research to link the family Furneaux with this manor.

Is the Beixedon Pedigree Reliable?

Writing in 1921, Edard Francis Fremaux de Beixedon provided a pedigree showing the descent of Sir Symon de Furneaux from Odo. The pedigree gives no sources and places Sir Alan between Odo and his presumed son Gaufrid rather than after. Since the pedigree resembles those that have been employed frequently, it is presented below with the caution that it must be judged unreliable.

1. Odo de Furneaux was born near Furneaux, Normandy, in 1040. He came to England with William the "Conqueror", and "held in capite under the crown in Somerset, 1086." ^[14]
2. Sir Alan de Furneaux, son of Odo, was born in Normandy, in 1075. He married about 1115. He received the manor of "Fen Ottery" from Henry I, King of England. ^[14] Other popular genealogies also name Alan as the son of Odo:^[6]. Weber states that Alan de Furneaux , of Fen Ottery was born about 1100 in Fen Ottery, Devon.^[10] Rogers states that Sir Alan de Furneaux, son of Odo, was born in Normandy, in 1075. He married about 1115 and received the manor of "Fen Ottery" from Henry I., King of England. ^[9] Smith and Hunter assert that Alan De Forneaux was born 1100 in Venn Ottery, Devon, England and died there in 1126^[7] Alan Fumeaux, in 1165, was one of the Justiciaries. (Mon. i. 999.) One of their seats was at Kentisbere. ^[8]
3. Sir Galfride de Furneaux, oldest son of Sir Alan, was born in 1117. He was made Sheriff of Devon by King Henry II. He was very powerful and wealthy. ^[14]
4. Sir Henry de Furneaux, oldest son and heir of Sir Galfride, was born in 1156 and died in 1241. He married, in 1180, Johanna, daughter of Robert Fitz William and thereby received the INIanor of Ashington, and also became Lord of the Manors of Somerset. He was Sheriff of Devon. ^[14]
5. Henry de Furneaux, oldest son and heir of Sir Henry and Johanna, was born in 1181. He was made Sheriff of Devon. ^[14] His son Henry followed him in the office 25 Hen. II. and 7 Richard I. ^[8]
6. Matthew de Furneaux, son and heir of Henry, was born in 1220, and married about 1244 a member of the House of the Earls of Bush. He was made Sheriff of Devon by King Edward I. ^[14]
7. Sir Matthew de Furneaux, son and heir of Matthew, was born in 1245 and married about 1270 Matilda, daughter of Sir Warine de Raleigh, descendant of Winund de Raleigh, temp, of King John and Johanna, daughter of Lord Botiler of Wales. Sir Matthew fought the Welsh in 1295 and the Scots in 1296. He was Sheriff of Somerset, Dorset and Devon. He was appointed Justice for Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. In 1312 he held custody of Devon and the King's Castle of Exeter. In 1315 he held custody over Somerset, Dorset and the Castle of Shireborn. ^[14]
8. Sir Symon de Furneaux, oldest son and heir of Sir Matthew and Matilda, was born in 1271, and married about 1327 Alice, daughter of Sir Henry de Umfraville. Sir Symon owned a great deal of land and was Commissioner of Array in Somerset. He had custody of Bridgewater Castle. ^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} A P Baggs and R J E Bush, 'Parishes: Cudworth', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 4, ed. R W Dunning (London, 1978), pp. 141-147. British History Online British History Online Accessed 13 March 2018 jhd
2. ↑ Open Domesday. Cudworth Site by Anna Powell-Smith. Domesday data created by Professor J.J.N. Palmer, University of Hull. Accessed March 10, 2018 jhd
3. ↑ K.S. B. Keats-Rohan. Domesday Descendants: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166: II. Pipe Rolls to CFartae Baronum. Woodbridge: Suffolk, 2002. Entry for Alan de Furnellis, page 469.
4. ↑ Wikipedia. Wikipedia: Cudworth, Somerset Accessed March 13, 2018. jhd
5. ↑ K.S. B. Keats-Rohan. Domesday Descendants: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166: II. Pipe Rolls to CFartae Baronum. Woodbridge: Suffolk, 2002. Entry for Gaufrid de Furnellis, page 470.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5} The Family of Wayne DeLoria and Julie Hurst Odo de Furnell Accessed March 9, 2018 jhd
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5} Smith and Hunter Genealogy Information about Eudes de Furneaux Citing One World Tree, Ancestry.com. Accessed Mar 10, 2018 jhd
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} Duchess of Cleveland. The Battle Abbey Roll With Some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1889. Volume II Pages 32-33 Accessed 20 March 2019 and 12 October 2023 jhd
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Edward Francis Fremaux de Beixedon, Jr. The Ancestors and Descendants of Dr. David Rogers By the author, 1921. Page 94-95. Accessed October 2, 2017. jhd
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Jim Weber. The Phillips, Weber, Kirk, & Staggs families of the Pacific Northwest Odo de Furneaux Updated June 11, 2015. Accessed March 10, 2018 jhd
11. ↑ Open Domesday. Devon Site by Anna Powell-Smith. Domesday data created by Professor J.J.N. Palmer, University of Hull. Accessed March 10, 2018 jhd
12. ↑ Otter Valley Association. Ven Ottery Manor Accessed 13 October 2023 jhd
13. ↑ Daniel Lysons and Samuel Lysons, 'Parishes: Oakford - Fen Ottery', in Magna Britannia: Volume 6, Devonshire (London, 1822), pp. 370-381. British History Online Accessed 10 March 2018 jhd
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7} Edward Francis Fremaux de Beixedon, Jr. The Ancestors and Descendants of Dr. David Rogers. By the author: 1921 Page 94 Accesseed 12 October 2023 jhd